The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and an image forming apparatus.
In the image forming apparatus which forms an image on a paper sheet with toner, generally, a cleaning blade which is cheaper and has a high cleaning performance is employed as a cleaning member to clean a belt member which rotates by coming in contact with a part of a photoreceptor or an intermediate transfer belt which are a image carrying member to carry a toner image.
In such a cleaning apparatus, in order to prevent scattering of toner during a cleaning operation by a cleaning blade, it is well known to provide a seal member to prevent scattering of toner at an upstream side of the cleaning blade in the rotation direction of the belt member, (for example, refer to Patent document 1).
Moreover, in order to suppress the chipping and abrasion of the edge portion of a cleaning blade, and to improve durable performance, it is well known to supply toner to a blade edge portion periodically, and to provide a toner storage section.    Patent documents 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-40894, Official report
On a belt member of an image forming apparatus, foreign matter which has viscous properties and strong cohesive force may adhere in addition to toner. For example, in the case where a belt member (also referred to as a transfer belt) is used at a section where a toner image is transferred from an image carrying member to a paper sheet, when an image is printed on the reverse surface of a paper sheet at a time of double-side printing, an image formed on the obverse side of the paper sheet comes in contact with the belt member, and wax exuded on the obverse surface of the paper sheet may adhere on the belt member as foreign matter.
Toner adhering to a belt member can be removing cleanly by a cleaning blade. However, if foreign matter which has viscous properties and strong cohesive force adheres on the belt member, it is difficult for the cleaning blade to remove such foreign matter. In some case, such foreign matter comes in between the belt member and the cleaning blade, and disturbs the cleaning operation of the cleaning blade. Further, the foreign matter forms a film on the belt member and increases the friction force of the cleaning blade, which causes turning or twisting of the belt member.
However, with the seal member described in Patent document 1, it is difficult to remove foreign matter having strong cohesive force.
For this reason, for the cleaning apparatus of a belt member which rotates by coming in contact with an image carrying to carry a toner image, it is required to have a structure which can remove foreign matter so as not to be sandwiched by a cleaning blade and can supply toner properly to the cleaning blade so as to maintain a proper friction force.